Is Curlie great?
 

I will go out on a limb and say he is the best horse we have seen since Sunday and Easy. Opinions?

He's getting better. Kudo's to Scott Blasi. I just ordered the hat.:D

So you are on the bandwagon....

Need about 5 more races to make that call.

I always was. It's just that I have become a total collecting Geek. I want the hat to get Steve A. or preferrably Scott B. to sign it. That way I could hang it on the wall next to my Stew Elliott, John Servis, Smarty Jones hat. Just another winner of the Arkansas Derby.:rolleyes: I've got to get a life.

I like Curlin, and I think he is a phenomenal racehorse, but I'll just go back one year. I strongly believe that last year's Classic/World Cup champion was better and would beat him almost every time at ten furlongs. Curlin may be a bit flashier and a more striking specimen, but other than the UAE Derby following an injury, there hasn't been a more dependable racer and winner out there than Invasor to my eyes.

best since sunday and easy?

i think ghostzapper and invasor would both eat him for lunch. i think the barbaro/bernardini duo would have as well.
good horses look a lot better when they face horses who have never even won a grade one.

I thought he got asked too early.

I was dead wrong.
The endurance of that animal
is shocking.

I' m very thankful he's still racing. American owned and bred.

I think Hardspun would have been better with age. We are cheated out of a handicap division every year.

Since we are giving out credit let's not forget our neighbours to the north, he's also by a very good Canadian bred sire.

Let's face it. There are several horses would have made our day little more interesting if they still were racing. Invasor was a good call.:rolleyes:

The "great" arguement is one that has no right or wrong, until the story is really over, and even then it might not. I am a bit biased here on this horse. However, even with that being said, I don't throw around the "great" word that often in this context. "Great" performance, yes, I can say that, and perhaps often, but that's a different context.

I always thought this horse has "great" potential -- from day one. I thought what he did in his first few starts and through the Belmont could have been considered "great" and I wouldn't have argued with anyone who said it. You just don't see that kind of thing happening. Well, now, we have Big Brown to watch. Kind of ironic.

People critisized Curlin's Derby as his traffic trouble wasn't that bad, wasn't as bad as so and so, etc. I don't know why. People critisized his Preakness as he caught a Street Sense who fell asleep, barely won it, etc.. I don't know why. People critisized his Belmont that he got beat by a filly, couldn't beat a filly who got a lousy trip, had every advantage to beat a filly, etc. I don't know why.

I know people critisized his Haskell as he didn't run, was flat. OK, that I know why. Got it. Should we keep going? You beat who you beat, and you beat who shows up. People were talking about Lawyer Ron at the Spa and said he would toy with Curlin. Then it was horse for course and all that.

Anyway, I am glad we get to watch this horse this year and I hope he keeps going, gets better and stays healthy, fit and sound.

Eric

i agree how can we tell? no one sticks around long enough to find out . i thought cigar was pretty good, so was skip away. then invasor but he ended early too. i got to believe they just don't make them like they used to. when they do they either get hurt or retire after 3. now he basically runs against slugs until the 3 yo season gets sorted out this fall. face it whos out there to seriuosly challange this horse right now ?

If you use the sheets, Invasor and Curlin are on par with each other. Ghostzapper was in another planet as far as numbers went.

I think Zapper was in the -6 range where Invasor/Curlin are in the -4 range....

My guess is we will only get to see Curlin race 3 more times, he will get a good layoff probably until August now. Probably the Woodward, JCGC, BC Classic....Unless they maybe go out west to make sure he wants the poly crap....

I would think they will run him in the Goodwood as his final BC Classic prep.

It is very possible, but Asmussen doesn't run very often in California, very little actually.....Actually I don't remember the last Asmussen starter, maybe in one of those early stakes baby races at Hollywood....

I'd love to see them try him on the turf

I would to, but him winning on the turf really won't matter becuase he is already very valuable. Risk vs Reward there won't be great enough to even try it.....If anything, it could hurt them because he already has a ton of turf breeding, and him not showing up on it would be a negative.

I think his next race is in CA... I don't know if he shows up for the Pacific Classic, but I'd bet he runs on the polycrap at least once prior to the Classic. I do think Jess Jackson is trying to best Cigar's earnings mark, so I'd bet we get at least two more starts out of him. Speaking of turf, any chance he could go win the Arc? Now that would be special...

That is probably the ONLY race that would enhance his stud value. I am sure there are others over there, but I am not familiar with them.

Would that be the "curlin slam"?

Whether the earnings records is important or not, I have no idea. I would think so. Why does he have to go to CA to do that? I think the horse will drive the dance card, not the earnings record. Turf? Why? To prove he has "versatility" and to add to his stallion resume? Poly? I don't think anyone has to worry about that. Jackson doesn't need to "make" a stallion.

Nothing against CA racing, however, CA races do not add prestige to making a commercial stallion -- not in KY. There are of course exceptions, but it's certainly not the norm. I am not quite sure this will be a "commercial" stallion so to speak.

Eric

I think he needs the Classic to break Cigar's record, so CA is important. I think he needs a couple million dollars more to break that record, so hes got to win one $5 Mil race or a couple $1 and $2 Mil...

Wasn't he at $5.3m or so before today? If so today's purse puts him at around $8.9m -- no? Not that there are tons of them, but where are the other $1m races for him? And, do they fit into his schedule better?

Actually, CA fits because of the BC. Duh, now I am thinking, LOL. Got it.

Eric

In all due respect to my colleague across town, IMO as soon as the court settlement is finished, so is this horse. I'll bet you see him go to to breeding shed so fast it will make your head spin. Also, Hard Spun never got to show us his real stuff. I know this sounds very cynical, but I think lately it seems we breed and train our horses for selling them to Gondolphin or Darley.
Yours for more claiming ranks.

he's at just over 8 million according to what they said yesterday post-race.

i don't see him going to del mar based on what that track was like last year. he's never run on poly has he? they may pull a mineshaft and just retire him before the bc if he has the earnings by then.

he might be race ready again by stephen foster time, i could see him going there.

i agree del mar is the kind of place the horse could lose. i hated that surface. it would be nice to see him here for the whitney, but the moneys not right. basically its just time before he breaks the record. he is running against a bunch, of also-rans.

In my mind he has already solidified his stature as a stallian, he's by a hot sire in 'Smart Strike' in addition being out of the valuable Mr. Prospector line, I would have to believe his book will be filled once he enters that line of work with and his fee will be an open cheque.

With the other next best horses being Heatseeker or Grasshopper in the division, I'm not sure what else he needs to prove, the only thing he has left is going for the earnings record and a second BC classic win. I guess there is nothing more to do but just enjoy seeing him run.

The whole theory behind running Curlin in Dubai once before the Dubai World Cup was done only because Asmussen believes strongly that Curlin is better the 2nd time he races over a track.

He said in an interview, that was his only reason for doing it.

He mentioned how he ran much better the 2nd time he ran at Oaklawn, ran much better the 2nd time he ran at Belmont, and ran much better the 2nd time he ran at Monmouth.

So, if his two goals for this year were a Dubai World Cup win in the first half of the season and a Breeders Cup Classic repeat in the 2nd half of the season...the priority would be to give him a prep over each track prior to the big race.

This is why I expect Curlin to use the Goodwood as his final prep for the Breeders Cup Classic.

I've said this too... but, what about before that? Does he go off just one start? Maybe. Otherwise, he's going to have to buck the two-starts over track trend.

You mean what does he do or where does he go between now and the Goodwood if that is his plan?

If that's what you're asking, I don't really know....that would be up to the connections and all...and I'm sure how the horse is doing physically and how well he's training will play a role in where he goes next.

from what i read earlier, he heads to keeneland from the desert (via belmont)to train over the poly there-before they (asmussen and assistant, exercise rider) put their collective heads together and figure out a plan for the second half of the season as they called it.
so, do they wish to train on poly to see how he does on it, or because some think it's kinder to a horse? but his having been in the fairgrounds since the bc would tell me that it's the former.